With Wrap Up Leeds ECO, residents who own their own home or rent it privately and who are in receipt of certain benefits, can benefit from free cavity wall and loft insulation or have their old and inefficient, broken or condemned boiler replaced.

Funding from energy companies is paying for the scheme.

People can find out if they qualify by calling 0113 395 0757, emailing wrapupleeds@leeds.gov.uk or visiting www.wrapupleeds.co.uk.

People will also be referred to Wrap Up Leeds ECO by other organisations who help people make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat, for example, Care and Repair, Groundwork and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

All works will be subject to a survey and will be carried out by the council’s partners SSE, Willmott Dixon Energy Services and Keepmoat.

A second phase of the project will target people who haven’t been able to get help from the previous Wrap Up Leeds schemes as their homes are classed as ‘hard to treat’. This could be a back-to-back property, an older property or of a non-traditional build. Details of this will be announced later in the summer, but anyone can pre-register their interest now.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for the environment, said:

“Now that summer has put in an appearance, making your home warmer might seem a little odd. However, now is the best time to contact the team to see if they can make your home cheaper to heat so you’ll be ready for winter.

“We want to help people tackle rising energy bills and Wrap Up Leeds ECO is just another way we can help residents out of the fuel poverty trap.”

Nigel Banks, Keepmoat group sustainability director, said:

“Wrap Up Leeds ECO is an exciting scheme for the city, enabling qualifying residents to save money on energy bills and make their homes warmer.

“The health, lifestyle and economic benefits of warmer homes, particularly for those most in need, are tremendous, so we would encourage anyone who thinks they may be eligible to take advantage of the works that are on offer.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council on this scheme.”

Charles Farley, SSE Leeds development director, said:

“SSE is looking forward to working with Leeds City Council to deliver its Wrap Up Leeds ECO campaign to help make homes across the city more energy efficient. SSE will bring its wealth of experience to the project to install insulation measures and more efficient boilers to reduce household energy consumption which will in turn make a positive impact to reducing energy bills.”

Rob Lambe, managing director, Willmott Dixon Energy Services, said:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Leeds City Council to provide healthier, warmer homes for residents which will lead to lower heating costs this winter. Willmott Dixon Energy Services are keen to make a difference through Wrap Up Leeds ECO to help residents cut energy bills and support those living in fuel poverty across the city.”

NOTES

With Wrap Up Leeds ECO, people could get a new boiler that could save them £300 a year or even insulation for cavity walls and lofts that could save you up to £310 a year.

How much funding offered will depend on how energy efficient a home is, how much we need to do to improve insulation and upgrade heating. We will also have to take into account people’s income. All measures are subject to assesment and technical survey, where the criteria isn’t met the customer may have the option to contribute towards the installation.